Separation anxiety in children makes drop-off at daycare or going on a date night much fun for parents. I remember crying in the car after dropping my son off at school, although I was lucky since it didn’t last. Separation anxiety is a normal stage that children go though starting in infancy and usually easing around age 2, but sometimes it can peak again at times of change, such as starting kindergarten. Many children continue to feel some anxiety when it is time to say goodbye.

How much screen time is too much screen time?

When we are talking about screen time, it includes any time an individual is in front of a screen, including gaming devices, television, computers, iPads/tablets, and phones.

Pediatricians have released information regarding how much screen time is “the right amount” since it is recognized that children learn best through face-to-face interactions with others.

Most of us as kids were riding our bikes nonstop in the summer. We had two tv channels and no electronics, so there was nothing else to do but to go outside and play. These days, children have so many more opportunities and activities. We also do not feel as safe letting our kids go outside and play without supervision. Our lives are busier and so are our children’s.

Rewards can be great, but we don’t want to have to use them all the time to motivate kids to do things. Research has shown that a group of children who were provided extrinsic motivation (that is, rewards) to work on a puzzle stopped working once the rewards were stopped. The children who were not given rewards kept at the task. Rewards can sometimes decrease the enjoyment of an activity. We also want to avoid the trap of having children respond to our directives with, “What am I going to get?” and have to enter into negotiations for every task.

Tantrums are tough. In the grocery store line up. At bedtime. When it is time to leave the house. Tantrums are tough. When times are tough, it can be difficult to manage our emotions and be calm. Here are some tips to help manage tantrums and try to keep your cool at the same time.

Fears are a normal part of being human and necessary for our survival as a species. Fears help us determine what dangers we should avoid for our safety. In developing children, fears change over time as they are exposed to new things and situations, and as they learn to master their environment. As children’s imaginations develop, new fears are often created.

The new buzzwords in psychology and child development are “emotional regulation”. What that really means is the ability of children to be able to regulate their big emotions. When emotions are out of control, we will see behaviours such as meltdowns and tantrums or even aggression.

February 27, 2019 is Pink Shirt Day. This day was started after some grade nine students came together to support a peer who was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The first step to stop bullying is to recognize it.

February 27, 2019 is Pink Shirt Day. This day was started after some grade nine students came together to support a peer who was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The first step to stop bullying is to recognize it.